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Barca vs Real Madrid highlight of La Liga final stage
Madrid, May 3 (IANS) The ‘Clasico’ between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou Stadium stands out above all of the others in Spain’s La Liga Santander, as the Spanish football season goes into its final three matches.
It does, however, promise to be a slightly decaffeinated Clasico between the two traditional rivals, given that Barcelona were crowned League Champions following last weekend’s 4-2 win away to Deportivo la Coruna, which confirms a League and Cup double, according to Xinhua news agency.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, travel to Barcelona following their slightly fortunate qualification for a third consecutive Champions League final following a 2-2 draw at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.
Barca’s League and Cup double and the chance Real Madrid have of lifting a third consecutive Champions League has started a debate in Spain as to which club has had the best season: in many ways it is sterile debate given that Barca have a 15 point lead over Real Madrid in the table and have dominated domestically, but a Madrid win on Sunday afternoon would see them claim they are the best side in Spain while ending Barca’s dreams of going unbeaten for an entire league campaign.
In the first meeting between the two sides, Barca produced a masterclass to win 3-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu to virtually knock Madrid out of the title race and have had longer to prepare for the match than their rivals.
Barca also have no injury worries, while Real Madrid are without Dani Carvajal and have a doubt over Isco, who missed out on Tuesday with a shoulder injury. Nacho Fernandez should be able to cover at right back after a brief return to action against Bayern.
Last weekend’s win in La Coruna not only secured Barca the title, it also confirmed Deportivo la Coruna will join Malaga and Las Palmas in being relegated to the second division for next season.
Deportivo will try to regain some pride in the Galicia derby against local rivals Celta Vigo, who have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe, while Malaga entertain Alaves and Las Palmas are at home to Getafe.
Getafe are currently seventh in the table and have a good chance of claiming the final Europa League spot, but travel to Las Palmas with 5 players suspended: Suarez, Fajr, Molinero, Mora and Bruno, while injuries to Arambarri, Bergara and Flamini will add to coach Pepe Bordalas’ selection headache.
Sevilla sacked Vicenzo Montella last Saturday and replaced him with Joaquin Caparros, who returns to the club after 13 years away. Sevilla have dropped to eighth in the table and take on Real Sociedad, who are now 10th, but just 3 points behind a place in Europe themselves in another game which could decide who plays in Europe next season.
Sixth place Villarreal have a five-point cushion over Getafe, and a win over Valencia would probably confirm a return to the Europa League, but they have a tough derby at home to Valencia, who need a win to assure fourth place and a return to the Champions League.
Valencia could have already have assured that fourth spot, however, if Betis, who assured their return to Europe on Monday night, fail to win away to Athletic Club Bilbao.
Athletic have struggled for form at home all season and will be without full backs Oscar de Marcos and Mikel Balenziaga and the suspended Raul Garcia.
Finally, eighth-placed Girona, who have just one win in seven games, entertain Eibar, who on Thursday confirmed that Jose Luis Mendilibar will remain as coach for next season.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.